Lines Drawn Between Marvel & Sony’s MCU’s

It all started when Sony and Marvel struck a deal that would bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Basically, it was a six picture deal that had Sony paying for the film and distribution while retaining the rights to the character while Marvel would make the film and bring him into the already established Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a deal that benefits both studios and could possibly be the jumping off point for a better deal down the road.

That all changed when Sony announced their own Marvel Universe to be launched with a Venom film starring Tom Hardy along with Silver & Black, a film based on Silver Sable and Black Cat. It took no time for Marvels’s Kevin Feige to affirm that they had no plan for Venom in the MCU along with Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland, saying it will never happen . Not too much later, during a promotion for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sony head Amy Pascal stated that Spider-Man was indeed connected to their universe and by default to the MCU. This inspired one of the best meme’s of all time as the internet went to town with Kevin Feige’s reaction to what Pascal was saying.

Now, we have a more clear and definitive answer that will straighten out this tangled web. In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Sony’s Amy Pascal said, “Here’s what we’re doing: all these characters are a part of the Marvel comic book universe. In that universe, they are all related to each other. Kevin makes characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These characters are separate, except for Spidey, who belongs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is why he’s there.” So this means that right now, it’s two completely separate cinematic universes. However, when asked if any of these characters could end up in the mix with the MCU Feige said, “We never say never. You could ask me, ‘Is Super-Man gonna be there?’ I go, “Never say never,’ but not too soon.”

My takeaway from that is that he could’ve just flat out said no, but his never say never makes me think that there just may be a better deal on the table, something they wanted to surprise us with. Pascal may have jumped the gun with her statement. I mean, Venom’s origins lie with Spider-Man, they must be connected somehow. How do you do Venom, with a Carnage foe, without Spider-Man AND get the audience to buy into it? What better place than InfinityWars for Spider-Man to get the black suit, thus solidifying the shared, yet separate universes? It’s possible for them to exist in the same universe while only crossing over when it benefits both parties. Enough of my soap box, what do you think, Comic Nation? Should Sony and Marvel combine their universes or is the separate paths the best road traveled? Let us know and keep checking back for more on this and Spider-Man: Homecoming which hits theaters Friday, July 7th.